Hugh Hefner Was Unsure About Lindsay Lohan Leaked Playboy Photos

The leaked photos of Lindsay Lohan ended up being an Internet sensation, but Hefner wasn't always so sure.

I had mixed emotions to begin with, Hefner told People Magazine. I could not have anticipated, quite frankly, that it would turn out to be such a sensational newsworthy event, or that the pictorial would turn out so well.

Playboy paid the Mean Girls star a rumored $1 million for the Marilyn Monroe inspired pictorial spread. The entire photo spread ended up being leaked onto the Internet with millions of people searching to find the classy spread.

The leak caused Hefner to push the intended newsstand release date up a few weeks, but he posted on Twitter that the issue was still breaking sales records.

Hefner told People that it was his editors' idea to get Lohan to pose nude for Playboy, but he previously told E! News that it was his idea to get the actress to pose for the men's magazine.

The pictorial and the concept for the pictorial came from me, Hefner told E! News in early December. She had done semi-nudes before. I wanted to do something that would be memorable. So what is more natural, since she is a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe, than [doing] something that is a tribute to the red velvet, Tom Kelly photo shoot of Marilyn Monroe that was our very first Playmate?

Lohan, who has had many run-ins with the law recently, is likely hoping that the attention surrounding her Playboy spread could help vault her back into relevancy and revitalize her dormant career.

The 25-year old saw early success with films like Mean Girls and Freaky Friday, but her career started to derail after two DUIs and stories of hard-partying ways went public.

Hefner told People that an actress trying to revitalize her career through the magazine isn't a new concept.

Historically, Playboy pictorials are connected to celebrities at various times in their career, Hefner told People. Sometimes it's the beginning of their career and sometimes it comes at a particular moment -- as with Lindsay -- that is intended as a turnaround.